Nikasil was introduced by Mahle in 1967 and was initially developed to allow Wankel engine apex seals to work directly against the aluminum block.
The aluminum cylinders also gave a much better heat conductivity and lower friction than cast iron liners, an important attribute for a high-output engine.
Porsche also used it on production cars, but for a short time switched to Alusil due to cost savings for their base 911.
[citation needed] Nikasil or similar coatings under other trademarks are also still widely used in racing engines, including those used in Formula One and ChampCar.
[4] Radio-control glow-plug nitro engines commonly use a Nikasil coated sleeved cylinder and an aluminium alloy piston without any compression rings.